


To the End of the Line

by karasunolovers



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Related, Gen, Gen Work, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, there's ships if you squint/wanna see it that way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:13:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4374989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karasunolovers/pseuds/karasunolovers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Please think it over and make a decision that you won't regret five or ten years down the road."</p><p>The Karasuno third years have made their decision, and they're with their team until the end of the line. Now they must learn how to cope with the pressure of leading their team to nationals, as well as the pressures that come with being in their last year of high school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ten Years From Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just an introspective look into the conversation that Takeda had with the third-years in the club room. Nothing really new here; it's more of a lead-in to the rest of the piece.

_"Please think it over and make a decision that you won't regret five or ten years down the road."_

Ten years from now, they could regret not having used their time studying to secure better futures, whatever that meant.

Or, ten years from now, they could regret not having stayed with the club, doing what they loved with the people they loved. 

Now versus the future... well, wouldn't it all be the same anyway? Wouldn't there always be something to regret in ten years?

From that perspective, the decision wasn't hard. The four of them showed up to the gym, despite practice having been canceled after their loss to Seijoh. And Takeda would never need to know that it was because all they _really_ , _truly_ had was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So each of the babies is getting their own chapter, and then there'll be a short epilogue to tie things up! First is Kiyoko, and she should be up soon after this!


	2. Hers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was still the manager after all, and she had to take care of her boys.
> 
> Kiyoko reflects on her time with the Karasuno Volleyball Club. There's an inexplicable attachment that she feels towards them, and despite her planning, still worries about letting them go. On the night before the third-years' final match, she has a conversation with Sawamura that quells her anxiety––after all, he was the one who brought her in in the first place.

Kiyoko had always been a relatively quiet girl. She didn't dislike talking to people; on the contrary, she was nervous around them. Since beginning high school, she had listened to all the whispers––she was the pretty girl that people either envied or wanted to be friends with. However, she never quite got used to the attention, and so withdrew to herself even more just to get out of the spotlight. She went through classes as any good student would, went home and did her homework, and so on and so forth. 

She still remembered clear as day when Sawamura, then in their second year, approached her asking if she would be the manager for the volleyball club. She was understandably taken aback, as he had remarked. They weren't in the same class, she had no experience with volleyball, and she had stopped playing sports altogether after their first year. Add in the fact that she was really a nobody––except for the "beautiful second-year" epithet that would later become "beautiful third-year"––and she was at a loss as to _why_ he had approached _her_ , of all people.

"Please, Shimizu-san!" Sawamura said, bowing to her as he repeated his request. "Consider coming to observe our practice this afternoon before you make your decision."

She quietly agreed, and showed up to the gym as the team began spike practice. She knew nothing about volleyball, but seeing the team in action lit something up within her and she ended up staying throughout the entirety of practice, learning some of the basic rules from observation alone.

Afterwards, she approached Sawamura and told him _yes,_ she would be their manager. He broke into a wide grin and called over the rest of his teammates. She recognized her fellow second-years, Sugawara and Azumane, and greeted them softly. The third-years from then gave her their kind welcome before slapping Sawamura on the back for finding her, while the first years could only stare in awe.

It might have been a long, awkward road ahead if not for the solidity of the team. While some of the first years were a bit more tenacious towards her, it was all in good humor. Overall though, they treated her normally and let her be, which was all she really wanted. It meant that, despite the chaos, she could actually be at peace.

Said feelings only accelerated the love Kiyoko felt for the volleyball team and she, along with the other players, bade a warm farewell to the third years in March of next year as they retired from the club. From then on, it was up to Sawamura and Sugawara to lead the so-called "Flightless Crows."

But Kiyoko knew better. After traipsing around with the volleyball team for an entire year, they were anything but, despite the fact that they had not gone to nationals since the era of the "Small Giant." She'd always had faith in them; it was just hard for her to say it.

* * *

However, as they entered their third and final year of high school the nagging at the back of her mind flew in with full force. Kiyoko knew that if she put it off, she'd run out of time, but how? How could she even start with finding a new manager? She didn't have Sawamura's charisma, and she certainly couldn't put more pressure on him with the team effectively coachless.

When the first years arrived, those concerns had to be pushed back again as she took care of the more immediate concerns, like uniforms. She was still the manager after all, and she had to take care of her boys. 

 _Her boys_. She'd never tell them that of course, it was far too embarrassing, but as long as she was still there, they would still be hers. But after Takeda had given her and the other third-years his talk, Kiyoko came to terms with the fact that she––they––couldn't take care of the flock forever. If first- and second-years and everyone who came after were to ever learn how to fly on their own, they would need others to help bear the burden. 

Somehow, she found her answer in Yachi Hitoka, the cute blonde who reminded her of warm, sparkling sunshine on a bright blue day (as opposed to Hinata's blazing rays). Kiyoko had approached her much like the way Sawamura had when he had made his request just one year ago, though it felt much longer. She breathed a sigh of relief when Yachi agreed to at least say hi that day, a sigh that turned into a wave when the underclassman continued to come to club practices, and even came along to Tokyo.

But although Yachi was adjusting quite well, something still didn't sit right with Kiyoko. It wasn't that she thought Yachi couldn't handle the job, and it certainly wasn't jealousy of Yachi taking over at her. It wasn't even that Kiyoko thought there were bad omens lurking. 

She didn't quite figure it out until Sawamura approached her on the night before what would be their final match of high school.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked, having run into her in the hotel lobby.

"Shouldn't you?"

He laughed softly. "You got me. I'm going for a walk; you're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Kiyoko nodded, but said nothing more as she followed along. She was thankful that Sawamura understood that she wasn't much of a conversation maker––well, except for when she was with Yachi. However, she was still a good listener, and after a few of walking in silence, she perked up when he began his musing.

"Shimizu, do you––" 

"Kiyoko."

He nodded at her with a chuckle of understanding. "Kiyoko, then. Do you know what you're doing after graduation?" 

"I'll be at the local university. You're going to Tokyo with Sugawara, right?"

"Yeah." She looked up at him again when he sighed. "I'm nervous, you know? Not just of moving or starting university, but _leaving_. I know our first and second years have got this under control, and Ennoshita will make a fine captain but..."

"You're attached," Kiyoko finished for him.

"Maybe a little _too_ attached. I have a lot of memories with this team, and I want them to keep getting stronger." 

When she didn't say anything, he said, "You've been worried too. You went unusually quiet after the meeting with had with Takeda."

She looked up at him in confusion and he continued. "Your 'normal' quiet, so to speak, has a very peaceful, calm air. That day though, you went quiet because you started panicking for a new manager, right?"

"I wasn't panicking..."

"Ah, bad choice of words, sorry," he chuckled. "Our manager doesn't panic in the slightest. Still, the worry was etched clearly into your face."

Kiyoko couldn't argue with that––the worry. "It's the same with me," she said tentatively. "Everyone here... I care about them. And they're all very good." _To me_.

And then she bowed to him and Sawamura jumped in surprise. "What's this all of a sudden?!"

"Thank you, Sawamura." _For taking a chance. For asking me to be your manager. For giving me something I can call mine._

"What are you thanking me for?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly. "I should be thanking you, you know. You take such good care of us Shi––Kiyoko." It was his turn to bow deeply to her. "Thank you for being our faithful manager. I hope you'll continue to take care of us until the end."

After they both stood straight again, they shared a smile and embarrassed laugh. Then, a clock chimed somewhere. "We should probably head back," Sawamura said.

Kiyoko nodded and they made their way back to the hotel.

"Oh, and Kiyoko?"

"Hm?"

"It's Daichi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To start, a lot of my inspiration for writing this series in general comes from my own experiences as a high school senior, and then a college senior, who prioritized their extracurriculars above all else. I'm not saying it's the exact same for the Karasuno third years, but I empathize strongly.
> 
> In Kiyoko's case, I felt a strong kinship with her, being practically the only girl in a group of boys. I started off pretty much like she did as I wrote her––I joined the drumline because they needed me to fill a part, and the camaraderie was so strong that I wanted to stay. My closest friends in band/orchestra/drumline were also my pit captains and a few others, all males, that I was protective/possessive of, and that same behavior carried over into the orchestra I was a part of in college. They were, well, my boys, and I projected that onto her a bit.
> 
> After Kiyoko will be Daichi's chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading thus far.


End file.
